Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Foal with breathing and swallowing trouble due to brain mass
By Borel, Nicole et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation : official publication of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, Inc·2014·Institute of Veterinary Pathology (Borel·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Vascular hamartoma in the central nervous system of a foal.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A 4-week-old Freiberger foal was having trouble breathing and swallowing since birth, which led to a diagnosis of bilateral laryngeal paralysis. As the condition progressed, the foal also developed facial nerve paralysis on the left side and a corneal ulcer in the left eye. After the foal passed away, a necropsy revealed a pinkish mass in the brain that was identified as a vascular hamartoma, a type of non-cancerous growth made up of blood vessels. This mass was pressing on surrounding brain tissue, causing the foal's symptoms.
People also search for: foal breathing problems · laryngeal paralysis in foals · facial nerve paralysis in horses
Abstract
Vascular hamartomas are non-neoplastic developmental anomalies of vessels. Cases of cerebral vascular hamartomas have been previously reported in dogs and cats. A 4-week-old Freiberger foal had shown persistent problems with breathing and swallowing since birth, and bilateral laryngeal paralysis was diagnosed. The foal subsequently developed left sided facial nerve paralysis and a secondary corneal ulcer in the left eye. Necropsy revealed a pinkish mass in the obex region of the brain. The mass was further investigated by histology and immunohistochemistry. Histologically, the mass consisted of many thin-walled, blood-filled vascular structures of variable diameter involving the white matter of the obex. The lining cells were immunohistochemically positive for factor VIII (von Willebrand factor) interpreted as endothelial cells. The endothelial lining showed also variable immunoreactivity for smooth muscle actin and vimentin. Normal neural parenchyma labeled with antibodies directed against glial fibrillary acidic protein and neuron-specific enolase was present between the vascular proliferations. A diagnosis of focal vascular hamartoma in the obex was made. The development of clinical signs is attributed to the compression of the surrounding neural parenchyma.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25261460/